For the last week, I’ve been home in Lansing, MI and spending time with my parents. It’s been wonderful. It’s always great spending time with your family. Bummed my sister and bro-in-law weren’t able to make it up but it was still a great time.
One thing which has made our family so tight and strong is that we spend a lot of time sitting around the kitchen table. Whether it’s eating, drinking, playing a game, or just talking, we spend a lot of time sitting around the kitchen table. (Our favorite family games are Sequence, Scrabble, and Canasta. 🙂 )
During this time, we compare notes about what’s going on in each other’s lives. We talk about what’s going on in the world and locally.
One of the biggest things that I’ve learned in 2008 is that if you want to build a tight community, whether it’s a family, company, or user base, you need some kitchen table time.
You need to have some type of time where you’re spending time together and just getting to know one another. You need to be in the position where you look at your community members like members of your family.
This means you need to find your community members and invest in them. You have to show them that you love them.
It could be as easy as taking someone out for lunch or saying “hey I’m proud of you!”. You have to show that you care and completely into what they’re saying and doing.
When you have this tight bond, you’ll see communities that will be able to do some pretty amazing things together.
Oatmeal Stout - Justin Thorp's blog 
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